The Decline of the West is a two-volume work written in the first half of the 20th century by a German historian, Oswald Spengler. The work is truly unique as the author used it as a tool for declining the view of the history of Western civilizations. He makes essential points highlighting the idea that history should be considered from the prospects of various cultures rather than epochs. In this report, the summary of the book, as well as the main ideas made by Spengler, will be presented. The conclusion will summarize the primary points of the essay.
The Decline of the West represents a philosophical discussion of Western understanding of history and introduces new ideas that contradict some Eurocentric views of history. As it was mentioned above, the primary idea of the author is that history should be reviewed not in terms of time but in terms of cultures. Spengler reveals eight primary civilizations, such as Babylonian, Egyptian, Chinese, Indian, Greek and Roman, Arabian, Western, and Mexican. The author calls his work a “morphology of history,” demonstrating that each culture should be considered separately due to the numerous differences between them (Spengler 49).
Therefore, all of these cultures are described independently in the frames of the work. Also, Spengler conducts a comparative analysis of the civilizations and their primary elements, revealing their similarities and differences. Thus, the historian identifies common features of humans and asserts that men of Babylonian, the Egyptian, the Indian, the Chinese, and Roman civilizations tend to be strong-minded and non-metaphysical (Spengler 50). It is fair to note that even though all the cultures are discussed, the author focuses mostly on Greek and Roman, Arabian, and Western civilizations.
However, according to Spengler, there is no culture that can be called dominant. The purpose of the work is to understand the civilizations rather than find a superior one. Each culture is examined in terms of its stages of development, such as birth, time of prosperity, degradation, and death. Although the terms “culture” and “civilization” are often used interchangeably, Spengler utilizes the word “culture’ describing the time of prosperity of objects and the word “civilization,” discussing its collapse.
The main difference between Spengler’s and Western history is that Eurocentric works revolve around facts rather than abstract propositions, as in The Decline of the West. Another difference is that Spengler expresses his pessimism talking about the history and future of human beings, while Western historians are famous for their enthusiasm and optimistic attitude.
It can be concluded that the purpose of Spengler’s work is to examine history in a way that is different from the traditional Eurocentric approach. The author focuses on cultures and civilizations, revealing their primary peculiarities and features. Spengler rejects the ideas of Western history, concentrating on abstract concepts rather than facts. Moreover, Spengler’s tone of the narrative is quite pessimistic, unlike the optimistic style of writing of Western scholars.
In general, The Decline of the West is unique writing that helps readers to look at world history from another, unfamiliar and unusual angle. It explains the interest of the world community in the book, which is still popular almost a century after its first publication. Therefore, the work can be recommended for reading not only to historians or philosophers but also to those who want to understand global cultures and key historical events.
Work Cited
Spengler, Oswald. The Decline of the West: Volumes 1& 2. Random Shack, 2016.